Item 10 - Kidderminster College



Kidderminster College Fee Policy 2019/20Background The high level principles for the setting of fees are determined by the Corporation of Newcastle College Group (NCG) and these principles are incorporated into this policy. This document covers the specific policy on fees for Kidderminster College which is a division of NCG.The high level principle for the setting of fees for government funded courses is covered in Section A, the principles for fees for adults funded by Advanced Learner Loans is covered in Section B and principles for all other fees in Section C. Section A: FE Fees Policy 2019/20Provision for 16-18 year olds on Programmes of Study remains entirely free of feesThe policy requirements in this section apply to the funded Further Education (FE) provision, i.e. that provision not subject to Advanced Learner Loans, which are covered in Section B.NCG will observe national guidance that currently states that fees are remitted nationally for the following categories of learners:16–18 learnersUnemployed adults in the following categories:In receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), including those receiving National Insurance credits onlyIn receipt of receive Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are in the work-related activity group (WRAG)In receipt of Universal Credit, earn less than 16 times the National Minimum wage per week or ?330 a month and are determined by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) as being in one of the following groupsAll Work Related Requirements Group. Work Preparation GroupWork Focused Interview Group.Other unemployed adults who:Are in receipt of other state benefits and earn less than 16 times the National Minimum Wage a week or ?330 a month; andWant to be employed and are undertaking learning that is directly relevant to their employment prospects and the local labour market needs.First Full Level 2 qualification for learners aged 19 up to 23 (if the qualification appears in the ‘Legal Entitlements’ list)First Full Level 3 qualification for learners aged 19 up to 23 (if the qualification appears in the ‘Legal Entitlements’ list)Skills for Life (excluding ESOL).Foundation learning for adults aged 19 up to 24 with no prior level 2 qualification.English and Maths provision for all adults up to and including level 2.Unless discretionary or statutory remission applies all courses which can bear a fee will be set at a level which will encourage participation and cover costs. These courses can be commercial, units/credits or full qualifications and the fees will be reviewed annually.The college based courses assumed fee rate, for co-funded Learners, is 50% of the National Learning Aim Reference System (LARS) listed rate up to a maximum of ?2,320 This rate will also be applied to Learners aged 19+ studying a non-full level 2 or second or subsequent full level 2 Learners over 23 studying their first full level 2Learners who are 19-23 and studying a non-full level 3 or first full level 3For the 2019/20 academic year, co-funded learners can be made fully funded if the Learner meets the criteria of working a 37.5hr contract paid with statutory holiday entitlement and earn less than ?15,736.50 annual gross salary (based on Social Mobility Commissioners low wage threshold of ?8.07 hourly rate 2016). Supporting evidence will be obtained and held on the learners file.Learners who are continuing on the same learning aim which they enrolled to in 2017/18 will continue to be entitled to the same remission conditions that were operational at the time of the commencement of their study on that learning aim. Enrolment to new learning aims starting in 2019/20 will be subject to the relevant funding body’s eligibility criteria for 2019/20.A payment instalment plan is available for FE and full cost fees of ?200 or greater (excluding workplace learning and sponsor invoices). Fee ReductionsA reduced fee maybe applied for the following adult category:Low paid individuals studying at entry to level 2 who are not ESFA fee remitted and have a personal gross income of less than ?21,000 per annum or are in receipt of inactive benefits.The reduced fees for students in this category are;?149 – where the course duration is 3 terms?99 – where the course duration is 2 terms?49 - where the course duration is 1 term.Fees may be discounted or waived at the discretion of the Senior Leadership Team.The College may charge registration and examination fees to;16-18 and 19+ fully funded learners who miss three exams. 19+ learners who pay tuition fees. Registration & exam fees will be in additional to tuition fees.Fee LevelsWhere fees are to be set, they will be based upon LARS funding rates, up to a maximum of ?4,640 and include registration, tuition and examination fees, with exceptions for some professional courses and those negotiated with employers. Tuition Fee PaymentsAll FE and full cost tuition fees are currently due to be paid on enrolment. However, instalments are permissible for courses as follows: For fees under ?200 full payment is expected at enrolment.For learners who may be unable to pay their fees in full at enrolment the college offers a payment plan deposit of 25% upon enrolment followed by three equal instalments by Direct Debit. 1st October 20171st November 20171st December 2017The final Instalment date must not extend beyond the length of the course.Learners whose employers have agreed to pay their tuition fees will be required to produce a letter/purchase order from their employer at the time of enrolment confirming that they will cover the amount they will pay.In the case of most two year courses the fees are payable each year upon enrolment in each year.Learners must take full responsibility for payment arrangements for their course fees. Failure to make prompt payment in line with the Learners Fee Payment Agreement for monies due will result in withdrawal of learner status. Any unpaid fees will be referred to a 3rd party to collect on the College’s behalf if payment is not received in the specified time. For any Learner with outstanding fees with the College will not be able to enrol on further courses at the college until the fees are cleared.Tuition Fee RefundsIt is recognised that there may be occasions where fee payments need to be refunded back to the learner/sponsor. This process needs to be fair and consistently applied and the following sets out the College’s Fee Refund PolicyWhere the college has to cancel a course, the college will credit the fee and refund any fee payments to the Learner/sponsor. If the Learner agrees to an appropriate alternative then the original fee payment would need to be credited and the payment would be re-receipted against the new alternative course and in this instance then fees will not be refunded. Learners may apply to the Head of Department for a refund or partial refund of tuition fee payment if there are extenuating circumstances. The refund will be based on;Two thirds of the tuition fee if the learner withdraws during the first term;One third of the tuition fee if the learner withdraws during the second term and No refund will be made if the leaner withdraws during the third term.A ?20 administration fee will be deducted from any refund made.Missed payments of instalmentsLearners who fail to make any of their instalment payments in line with their Fee Payment Agreement will have sanctions imposed, or their learner status withdrawn. Any unpaid fees will be referred to a third party debt collection agency to collect the outstanding fees on behalf of the College.Enrolment will not be permitted on any further courses until all outstanding fees with the College are settled in full.Section B: FE Loans Policy – Advanced Learner LoansThe Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have removed funding for adults aged 24 and older studying at level 3 or above, including advanced and higher apprenticeships. This funding has been replaced with a system of Advanced Learning Loans (ALLs). In addition the ESFA has introduced ALL for adults aged 19 and older who are undertaking their second level 3 qualification or higher.Advance Learner Loans are now available to leaners aged 19 or over and undertaking:A-Levels & AS-Levels (up to a maximum of four full A-Levels)Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Access to Higher Education DiplomasVocational qualifications including technical and professional qualifications at Levels 3,4,5 and 6.The following level 3 provision is not covered by loans as ESFA funding is continuing:First full level 3 programme for those aged 19-23 (if the qualification appears in the ‘Legal Entitlement’ list)Advanced and Higher Apprenticeship frameworksStudent Finance England will ‘write off’ any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balances owed for an Access to Higher Education Course (HE) once a higher education course has been completed. The higher education course must be eligible for student finance.Learners will complete and sign a Learning Agreement as part of enrolment; this confirms that the Fee will be payable by them in the event of SLC defaulting for any reason (e.g. loan reassessment).Learners will be set as ‘Learner to Pay’ until the SLC advises the College of a successful loan application. Learners not wishing to enter into a loan agreement will be liable for payment of the relevant tuition fee or any up-front fees not covered by loans payable at the time of enrolment. Statements will be sent to the Learner to advise of receipt of loan payments by the College.Tuition fees funded by Loans are paid to the College directly by the Learner Loans Company. Payments are made on a monthly basis for each month when the learner is still active on their course on the first day of the month. The value of the loan for which the learner becomes liable will increase with each monthly payment made to the College. It is in the learner’s best interest to inform the College of any changes to their circumstances as early possible.Fee Levels for loan based provisionThe Education and Skills Funding Agency allow providers to set a maximum fee for loan based provision based on the fully funded value set on the National Learning Aim Reference System (LARS). The minimum threshold to generate a loan is a fee level of ?300. It is the responsibility of the learner to enter into an agreement with the Learner Loans Company and secure a loan facility to pay for this provision. The College will offer support and guidance to the learner to undertake the loan application should they chose this method of payment. Rather than taking an ALL the Learner is also able to pay the course fee themselves.Fees for classroom based provision will be set at up to 100% of the listed fee (LARS) up to a maximum of ?4,640 for full time courses. Part Time courses will be as published.Loan LiabilitiesAll tuition fees are due to be paid on enrolment. For Advanced Learning Loans this requires the learner to ensure that the College receives confirmation that the loan facility has been agreed before starting the programme, otherwise they will be personally liable for their fees.Tuition Fee Refunds for Advanced Learner LoansIt is recognised that there may be occasions where loans may need to be refunded back to the Student Loans Company and hence reduce the outstanding debt to the learner. The following principles apply:Where Kidderminster College cancels a programme, the Student Loans Company will be notified and the loan for this programme cancelled in full.If the learner agrees to an appropriate alternative then the Student Loans Company will be informed if this results in a change of circumstances or loan level. Learners may apply to the Principal for a refund or partial refund of their current loan liability if there are extenuating circumstances. This would result in a change of circumstances being recorded with the Student Loans Company and the learner’s loan liability being adjusted accordingly.Section C: Fees Policy - Other ProvisionsFull Cost Fees for commercial (non-government funded) courses or full cost will be charged at a level to reflect the full price to the College and be approved by a member of SLT.Fees may be charged on a commercial basis to 16-18 year olds studying additional qualifications outside of their programme of studyApprenticeship feesThe policy requirements in this section apply to the provision of apprenticeship frameworks and standards, where the funding draw-down is predicated by the payment of the employer fee. This will apply to small and medium-sized employers not eligible to pay the levy and also to levy-paying employers who have exhausted their levy funds.NCG Divisions will observe national guidance for apprenticeships that states: Fees must be aligned to the appropriate band for the applicable apprenticeship standard or framework and can be no more than the cap for that bandFunding will be triggered up to the cap on the basis of ?9 for every ?1 that the employer pays as a cash contributionThe fee contribution must be cash and not any sort of ‘in kind’ arrangementThe contribution from the employer can be set at any level up to the cap and forms part of an ‘apprenticeship agreement’ with the provider. This will be part of the total cost of apprenticeship, which the employer contribution must always be 10% of.The employer may be eligible for incentive payments. These incentive payments must be made to the employer by the provider to a strict timetableThe provider has complete discretion over the nature of the payments from the employer, both in terms of the timing and number of instalments, with the proviso that they are collected every three months at a minimum. Funding, however, will only be paid if fees are evidenced as being received.Providers will need to have fair processes in place to ensure that fees and/or funding are repaid if the programme is terminatedIt is assumed that the maximum fee will be charged (as per the cap) in the first instance. Added value products (free short/online courses) will be offered rather than discounts on the delivery cost. Any discretionary variance from this fee charge (typically based on volume discounts) must pass a costing scrutiny that is signed off and approved by the HoD Business & Training or a member of SLT. Employers required to pay a fee will be required to pay 10% of the overall apprenticeship cost in all cases, though the overall cost may be varied.Differential fees may be set for smaller and larger employers based on volume discounts as above. Those employers (all but the very smallest) will still be charged the mandatory 10% co-financing fee.Fee remissions are applied for non-levy paying employers who;Employing a 16-18 Apprentice where they employ less than 50 People (49 or less) The employer must provide evidence that they employed an average of 49 or fewer employees in the 365 days before the apprentice was recruited and evidence of this must be kept on file. The ESFA defines the number of employees as the number of people with a contract of employment. If the average number of employees is 49 and the recruitment of the apprentice takes the number to 50, the employer will still be eligible for no charge. However if the average number of employees is 50 and the recruitment of the apprentice takes this to 51 the employer will be charged.Employing 19-24 Apprentice where the learner has an Educational, Health and Care Plan provided by the LA or has been in care of the LA.Employers liable for the 10% co-financing fee will still need to contribute at this level.Members of SLT have the discretion to vary fees for an employer or group of employers.Fees will be requested in advance for each year of the programme. An invoice will be raised and payment must be made within 30 days of the invoice date. Payment can be arranged through an instalment plan in exceptional circumstances for micro SMEs (less than 10 employees). The plan will not exceed more than four instalments in an academic year and will be via Direct Debit. A Direct Debit mandate must be in place for the learner to go live. Direct Debits will be taken on the 25th day of the month for the number of instalments agreed.The Head of Finance has the discretion to agree the provision of instalment payments for an employer or group of employers.Where subcontractors are used to deliver a whole programme the same fee requirements exist, with reference to the ‘Subcontract Management Framework’ and ‘Supply Chain Fees & Charges’. The fee must be paid to the division in advance for each year of the programme. A specific apprenticeship contract will confirm the fee requirements for subcontractors.Fee Refunds - ApprenticeshipsIt is recognised that there may be occasions where fee payments need to be refunded back to the employer. This process needs to be fair and consistently applied and the following sets out the Division Fee Refund PolicyWhere the College has to cancel an apprenticeship arrangement, they will normally credit the fee paid for that year and refund any fee payments to the employer. If the employer agrees to an appropriate alternative then the original fee payment would need to be credited and the payment would be re-receipted against the new alternative programme and in this instance the fees will not be refunded. The ‘Employer Contribution & Incentive Payment’ document must state where employers may apply to for a refund or partial refund of their fee payment in any extenuating circumstances.Traineeships for 16-24 year oldsNo fee will be charged to 16-24 year olds who have not achieved a full level 3 qualification.Learners will a full level 3 at the beginning of their traineeship will be chargeable as full cost of provision.Learners aged 16-24 whose traineeship planned duration is greater than 6 months will be chargeable as full cost provision.Higher Education CoursesKidderminster College will be charging fees for new under graduate entrants as per NCG HE Fees Policy or the indirect funders HE fee policy (as stated in Appendix C).Examination FeesAll courses are normally charged the examination/registration fees set by the awarding bodies for their qualification at the time at enrolment.Awarding body fees are not charged to 16- 18 year old learners whose tuition fees are remitted. Learners retaking examinations will be charged the examination retake fee which is payable to the college prior to the examination entry. Non-attendance at an examination for which they have been entered will be charged the examination fee plus an administration charge of ?20. Replacement CertificatesThe College will post all certificates at the end of the course to the registered last address on the system, it is a learner’s responsibility to ensure the College has the correct address, should a replacement certificate be required to be ordered due to an incorrect address the learner will be required to contact the appropriate awarding body to order and pay for a replacement certificate. Should a certificate be lost in the post and the College is notified within 3 months from the date of issue that a certificate has been lost the college will make arrangements to order a replacement with no fees. After 3 months of issue it will be a learners responsibility to contact the appropriate awarding body to order and pay for a replacement certificate. Confirmation of Past ResultsAnyone wishing to obtain a statement of past results who has not been enrolled with the College for the present or previous academic year, will be required to pay a fee ?15 to cover the administration costs involved.External CandidateA learner is classed as an external candidate once they are no longer enrolled on a course which an exam/assessment is related to. The College does not take external candidates for exams and assessments.Other ChargesWhere a course has significant increased costs for special or expensive items such as uniforms, equipment or consumables these costs will be passed on to learners. These charges include;Clothing or equipment as necessary for Learner’s health or safety a charge will be made for clothing and equipment retained by Learner;Sale of learning materials;Fines for late return of library books or other disciplinary fines;Deposits on lockers, ID cards, keys, library cards and equipment that are fully refundable except in cases of theft or damage;Non course-specific photocopying and printing;Recreational use of leisure facilities and other non-academic facilities where activity taking place is not a requirement of a course syllabus;Optional extra activities where activity is taking place outside a required part of an agreed study programme, StaffFor courses not directly supported by the Staff Development budget the College will not charge a tuition fee for ESFA funded courses provided:Attendance is wholly in the staff members own time.The course would be viable without the member of staff i.e. staff will not be able to enrol to make up the numbers to ensure the course runs.If courses are oversubscribed outside learners will take priority over staff with subsidised places.All other fees e.g. examinations must be paid by the member of staff.A 30% discount will be given to staff who enrol on a recreational course for one class per 10 week block.No discount will be given for enrolment on a Full Cost course.The NCG Professional Development Funding Policy & Procedure has been adopted by Kidderminster College. This policy will be invoked where a member of staff makes a request for financial support to cover all or part of the costs associated with completion of a professional qualification.Appendix A: Funding rules 2019/20.Tuition FeeAssessment or Examination FeeMaterials FeesLearners aged 16-18 on 31st August at start of course on EFA funded courseNilPaid by collegeYes, where applicable19 years or over on an entitlement qualification or other fee remission category NilPaid by the College Yes, where applicableThose aged 19+ at start of course on ESFA funded courses and not included in aboveAs per course feesIncluded in Tuition FeeYes, where applicableLearner undertaking English and Maths programme (GCSE if don’t already hold Grade C) up to Level 2NilPaid by CollegeN/ALearners undertaking a programme where they are not eligible for EFA/ESFA/HEFCE fundingFull cost rate Included in Tuition Fee Yes, where applicableAppendix B: 2019/20 ESFA Fee Remission Appendix C: Kidderminster College Tuition Fees 2019/20These should be consistent with the assumed fee element stated in the ESFA funding methodology. Any variation to be agreed by the Senior Management Team. 2019/20?2018/19?Full Time19+ Full time Co-Funded Learner 50% of LARS up to a maximum of ?2,32050% of LARS up to a maximum of ?2,320Full Cost & Advanced Loan fees except Access 100% LARS up to a maximum of ?4,640100% LARS up to a maximum of ?4,640Access to HE ?3,100?3,100Infill ESFA LearnersQualification rate?7.90 per hour?7.90 per hourNon Qualification Rate ?4.20 per hour?4.20 per hourSchool LinksStandard Learner infill rate ?10.60 per hour?10.60 per hourLow cost ?7.70 per hour?7.70 per hourHigh cost?9.00 per hour?9.00 per hourOne to one and small groups ?90.20 per hour?90.20 per hourHE FeesHND Fees(University of Worcester) N/AYr1: ?9,250Yr2: ?8,720HND/Foundation Fees (Directly funded by HEFCE) ?7,900?7,900Teaching Qualification TBCTBCAll the above fees are per academic year unless stated otherwise. ................
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